19-year-old from Palatine arrested for alleged Hindu temple shooting plot
Police detained 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis after he shared a manifesto and weapons indicating a planned attack on a Hindu worship site in Aurora.
Palatine police arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis on suspicion of planning a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area. The suspect authored a manifesto that expressed white-supremacist ideology and called for violence against people of Indian descent, and he circulated electronic messages describing his intended attack. Law enforcement intercepted the threat after a tip about his concerning communications and detained him as he exited his home on North Baldwin Court.
He faces a Class X felony for making a terrorist threat and a felony for possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, along with related weapons charges. A warrant search revealed a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds, tactical equipment and a body-armor vest bearing extremist symbols. The FBI assisted in reviewing his digital files, and Aurora police have alerted Hindu temples in the region while the investigation continues.
Why it matters
The case highlights domestic extremist threats and the need for vigilance against hate-motivated violence.
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